Pump



March 30, 1937. J. T. DlcKsoN PUMP Filed April l5, 1956 Patented Mar.30, 1937 UNITED .STATES PATENT oFFlcE Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in pumps and more particularly tothat type which is uid actuated and adapted for pumping liquid such asoil and water.

5 The primary object of my invention is the production of pumpingapparatus which is simple in construction and operation and which ismore effective than heretofore for lifting liquid from the the surfaceabove the well, whereby a simpler and more effective apparatus isproduced than heretofore and one which is less liable to disorder thanif the customary reciprocating rod is used from top to bottom foroperating a pump. Among still further objects is toprovide a pump havingan inner actuating column of liquid and an outer. column of pumpedliquid, which columns are normally and during variations of gas pressurein the well counter balanced so that the only work required issubstantially the effort of forcing liquid from the outer column at thesurface of the- With these and other objects in view my inventioncomprises the features of construction and combination of partshereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specication, Fig. 1 isa typical vertical section of a portion of a deep well and of myimproved pump applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section ofthe conventional pump portion of my improved pumping apparatus removedfrom the well, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of anotherportion of my improved pump removed from the well showing the springactuating mechanism which is employed above the pump in the well shownin Fig. 3 for operating the pump.

For the purpose of showing my improved Apump applied in use, a portionof a deep oil vor water well A in the ground is shown in Fig. 1 oi thedrawing, in which the customary string of casing r I0 is shown extendingfrom the top to the bottom and the usual 'filter produced by slottingthe Acasing at II is employed at the lower end, 4through which-the oilor water is adapted to perco1ate.

Lowered into the casing and spaced from vits inner wall is a string oftubing B forming an egress duct up which the liquid produced by the wellis adapted to be forced above the surface oi the ground, the upperextremity oi' said liquid conducting tubing being closed by a cap I 2and pro' vided with an outlet pipe I3 by which the liquid 5 is adaptedto be conducted away from the well. Lowered through cap I2 into theliquid conducting tubing and spaced inwardly from the inner wall of thelatter is a string of inner pump tubing C, the lower end of which issealed in the lower 10 end of egress duct B as will be hereinafterdescribed.

The pump tubing C has incorporated into its lower end a conventionalsuction pump, of which the wall of tubing C forms the cylinder. Recip-15 rocable in thisv cylinder is a hollow piston `|4 which is securedthrough a coupling I5 with an upwardly extending sectional sucker rodI6. The cylinder is attached to coupling I5 by a valve housing or cageI1 which holds a ball check valve I8 having free play above the valvevseat I9. 'I'his seat is held in place by annular shoulders 20 and 2| onthe -valve seat and valve cage and by the threaded connection 22 betweenthe wall of cage housing I I and the upper end of piston I4. 'I'he 25valve seat I9 provides'an orifice which is closed automatically duringthe up stroke of piston I4 and is opened automatically during the returndown stroke of the piston, thus causing liquid admitted from below andthrough piston I4 to be 30 lifted in tubing C by each pumping or suctionstroke. Liquid conducting passages 23 through the wall of tubing C andabove the piston serve to conduct the pumped liquid from tubing C intoegress duct B. 'I'he lower end of the pump tubing 35 C is sealed by aninner coupling 24 and a socket member 25 in the .lower end of egressduct B.

l Coupling 24 'is threaded into the pump tubing C and socket member 25is seated by a downwardly tapering socketijolntin coupling 24. Coupling,40 member 24 is passaged longitudinally at 29 and at the lower end o'fsaid passage is valve orifice seat .28 upon which .fa l-ball valve 21closesto permit the :ingress of liquid into `the pump tubing during 'theupward .stroke oi piston I4 and check `4.5 the return of said .liquidautomatically during the retum ydownwards'troke of piston I4. Thus byreciprocating piston I4, liquid is pumped from the bottom of the wellinto the egress `duct B where it accumulates in the form of an outer 50column of liquid. i

Sucker rod I6 is ipropelled by a fluid actuated hollow piston D, whichreciprocates in the pump tubing C as a cylinder, said rod being securedto the upper. inner end of the piston by threaded 55 engagement 30 (seeFig. 3). This piston is propelled downwardly by a column of liquid inthe pump tubing above the piston which is impelled by a master pump orram E. The master pump has its cylinder 53 connected by duct 3I andcoupling 32 with the upper extremity of the pump tubing C. Pump E may beof any suitable type. As shown it has the conventional cylinder 53,reciprocable piston 54, crank shaft 55, connecting rod 56 and drivepulley 51 by which the piston is reciprocated. In use, the connectionbetween the cylinder of pump E and the pump tubing C above piston D isfilled with any suitable actuating liquid. I have found in practice aliquid composed of kerosene oil and 5% lubricating oil to constitute asatisfactory medium. Thus the c ornpression stroke of piston 54 throughthe column of actuating liquid in the pump tube produces the downwardpower stroke of piston D in the suction pump at the bottom of the wellagainst the tension of springs 35 and 36 which will be hereinafterdescribed and forces liquid out of the pump through egress openings 23,into and up through the egress duct B 'to the surface above the well.

The up stroke of the suction pump piston I4 is assisted by the helicalretractile springs 35 and 36 during the suction strokev of piston 54 inthe drive pump E. These springs are coiled longitudinally in the pumptubing C, the coils of spring 35 being arranged about and concentricwith the axis of the sucker rod I6 and spring 36 being arranged abovethe upper end of the sucker rod. The lower loops of spring 35 aresecured to the coupling 36 in the head end of piston D and the coils atthe upper end of spring 35 are secured in the inner wall of a hollowcoupling 39. Coupling 39 is externally threaded and formed withganannular shoulder 40 between its ends and servesto join the abutting endsof two sections of the pump tubing united with shoulder 40 serving andan intervening abutment. Thus the down stroke of piston D is against thetension of spring 35 and the spring tends to raise the piston intosuperior position. The outer and inner columns of liquid, respectivelyin ducts B and C, tend to counterbalance each other and substantiallycompensate the normally greater weight of the column of operating liquidheld in the pump tubing plus the force required to raise piston I4 andtransfer liquid from the well into the pump tubing. Thus piston 54 issubstantially relieved from all work during its suction stroke, leavingthe two columns of liquid substantially counterbalanced at the end ofthe up stroke of piston D.

As many helical actuating springs may be employed as desired. Forillustration, two are shown, the spring 36 being superimposed abovespring 35 in tandem arrangement. The means of attaching spring 36 topiston I6 is by means of a sucker rod extension section 4I, the lowerend of which is threaded in axial alignment with sucker rod I6 incoupling head 36. This rod 4I extends freely upwardly through the coilsof spring 35 and above the same where it is secured by threading in acoupling 42 over which the lower convolutions of spring 36 are secured.The upper end of spring 36 is secured by a coupling 43 similar tocoupling 39 between sections of the pump tubing. In this manner theforce which is exerted in the return stroke of piston I4 isA augmented'.By supplying a sucient number of springs connected in the manner statedthe auxiliary force which they exert will substantially produce thesuction stroke ofplston I4.

Master pump E is provided with an equalizing chamber F connected by aport passage 44, entering cylinder 53 near the end of the suction strokeof piston 54. 'I'his chamber keeps the actuating column of liquidmaintained at all times and allows for any surge backwardly during thesuction stroke.

Operation In operation, the piston in master pump E is reciprocated andthe pump acts as a ram or pulsator to reciprocate the column ofactuating liquid in the pump tubing C extending downwardly into thewell. Normally, that is substantially at the beginningof the powerstroke of piston 54, the springs stand under sufficient tension tocounterbalance the extra weight of the inner column of actuating liquidin the inner pump duct C over that of the outer column of liquid pumpedfrom the well in the outer egress duct B. 'I'hey also serve to returnthe pump pistons D and I4 to superior position during the suction strokeof the master pump piston. Each power stroke of piston 54 impels pistonD downwardly and transmits energy to the pump actuating springs 35 and36 and through sucker rod I6 transmits a down stroke to piston I4 of thepump in the bottom of the well. This intake down stroke of piston I4transfers liquid previously admitted into the pump chamber past valve I8and into the pump tube C above piston I4, while valve 21 automaticallychecks any liquid which has been pumped from returning into the well.During each return or suction stroke of the master pump piston thecolumn of pump actuating liquid is raised principally by the power whichhas been transmitted to the springs 35 and 36, through piston D. 'I'hediminishing area within the pump lying between piston D and check valve21 during the compression stroke of piston 54, forces the amount well sothat the work of pumping is only subl stantially equal to the work oftransferring the liquid delivered by each stroke of the pump piston fromthe inner pump tube into and up through the outer egress duct. Thesprings allow for variations in gas pressure in the well and during theoperation of the master pump the equallzing chamber F also assists inmaintaining the columns of liquid in the pump actuating and egress ductsin equilibrium so that substantially even operation of the pumpingapparatus is maintained.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principlesof operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I nowconsider to represent the best embodiment thereof but I desire to haveit understood that the structure Ishown is only illustrative and thatthe invention can be carried out by other means and applied to usesother than those above set forth within the scope of the followingclaims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. Pump apparatus, comprising, in combination with a well, a pump nearthe bottom of the well having an inlet adaptedto be connected withliquid to be pumped from the well and a reciprocable pumping element, aduct for transmitting liquid from the pump upwardly through the well, anactuating piston connected with said reciprocable pumping element, acylinder in which said piston is 'reciprocable having a duct extendingto the surface above the well by which a column of piston actuatingliquid is held, means near the surface above the well for reciprocatingsaid liquid to assist in causing the reciprocation of said piston, and aretractile spring connected with said actuating piston to be energizedthereby during its downward stroke and adapted by its retractile energyto assist in raising said reciprocable pumping element and lift thecolumn of actuating liquid.

2. Pump apparatus, comprising, in combination with a well, a pump in thebottom of the Well having an inlet adapted to be connected with liquidto be pumped from the well and a reciprocable pumping element, a ductfor transmitting liquid from the pump upwardly through the well, anactuating piston connected with said reciprocable pumping element, acylinder in which said piston is reciprocable having a duct extending tothe surface above the well by which a column of piston actuating liquidis held, a ram having a reciprocable actuating element and cylinder nearthe surface above the well for reciprocating the actuating liquid andcausing the reciprocation of said actuating piston, an equalizingchamber connected with'sa'id ram cylinder, and a retractile springconnected with said actuating piston to be energized thereby during itsdown stroke and adapted by its retractile energy to impart a pumpingeffort to said reciprocable pumping elementand to minimize any.difference in weight between said actuating liquid and the liquidpumped from the well.

3. Pump apparatus, comprising, in combination with a well, a pump nearthe bottom of the well having an inlet adapted to be connected withliquid to be pumped from the well and a reciprocable pumping element, aduct for trans- 45 mitting liquid from the pump upwardly lthrough thewell, an actuating piston connected with said reciprocable element, acylinder in which said piston is reciprocable having a duct extending-tothe surface above the well by which a 50 column of piston actuatingliquid is adapted to be retained, a ram near the surface above the wellhaving a cylinder connected with said co1- umn of liquid and a pistonreciprocable in said ram cylinder, and a series of retractile springsanchored to the wall of said duct and connected with saidactuatingelement whereby they are adapted to be energized by the powervstroke of said ram piston through said column of actuating liquid andtending during the receding o stroke of said actuating piston tosustainthe load .6 of said column of actuating liquid and minimize anydifference in weight between the actuating liquid and the liquid pumpedfrom the well.'

4. Pump apparatus, comprising, in combinationwith a well having an innerpump actuating duct extending to the surface above the well in which aninner column of actuating liquid is held, a plunger pump connected withsaid duct near the bottom of the well having a check valved inlet fromthe well and a check valved reciprocable pumping element, an outeregress duct extending from the pump to the surface above the welladapted to transmit an outer column of liquid pumped from thevwell, apiston in said pump actuating duct coupled to said reciprocable pumpingelement and reciprocated by said column of actuating liquid, wherebyliquid is adapted to be admitted into the pump from the well by an upstroke and is forced from the pump upwardly through said egress duct bya down stroke, means near the surface above the well for reciprocatingsaid column of actuating liquid" whereby said piston and pumping elementare reciprocated, and aretractile spring connected with said piston andanchored to the wall of said i actuating duct near the lower portion ofsaid inner pump actuating duct adapted to be energized by the downwardmovement of said piston and tending by its energy to raise said pistonand minimize the difference of weight between said columns of liquid.

5. Pump apparatus, comprising, in combination with a well having aninner pump actuating duct extending to the surface above the well inwhich an inner column of actuating liquid is held, a plunger pumpconnected with said'duct near the bottom of the well having a checkvalved inlet from the well and a check valved reciprocable pumpingelement, an outer egress duct extending from the pump to the surfaceabove the well adapted to transmit an outer column of liquidpumped fromthe well, a piston in-said pump actuating duct coupled 'to saidreciprocable pumping element and reciprocated by said column ofactuating liquid, whereby liquid is adapted to be admitted into'the pumpfrom the well by an up stroke and is forced from the pump upwardlythrough said egress duct by a down stroke, means near the surface abovethe well for reciprocating said column of actuating liquid whereby saidpiston and pumping element are reciprocated, and a series Vof springsanchored to the wall of said actuating duct and connected with saidactuating piston whereby they are adapted to be' energized by the powerstroke of the actuating liquid reciprocating means and tend during thereceding stroke of said piston to lift the load of said column ofactuating liquid and equalize the difference in weight between saidcolumns of liquid.

JAMES T. DICKSON.

